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I arrived at Jeff's early, intending to help kids get ready. I loved seeing Bradley playing with Ben. |
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Richie is certainly a favorite. I watched him be passed around all day long. |
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Even Papa got in on the fun. |
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In no time, all the kids were ready. Ben knew these were his church shoes. |
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Dave's family was the first to arrive at the chapel. |
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The younger kids are wonderful and love being with each other. |
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Kate played prelude and postlude. Before the baptism was over, the bishop asked her to play for sacrament meeting. |
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Marcia had almost as many of her grandchildren there as I did. We've become good friends and I love the long arms of love her family brings to ours. |
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Ah, the stories I could tell about this girl. Ask me later. |
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Richie didn't spend much time with Mom today, so this was a rare moment. |
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Julia has a special relationship with Jill. |
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The baptism was lovely, and I wasn't the only one who had tears. Of course, refreshments are the favorite part for many. |
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These kids -- they see my camera and know exactly what to do! |
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This group of cousins politely smiled at me until I said on the count of three they could do anything they wanted. |
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Bradley, Nate and Luke have a special relationship, and a picture of the three of them together would have been nice. However, people and events moved pretty fast today. |
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I'll tell you something cool -- Matt was not only a witness today, but he stood in the circle. Another reason for a few tears. |
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Melissa and Sammie came for the baptism. Bradley came to play with his cousins. |
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Jeff is practicing up on his baby skills. That's watermelon going into Richie's mouth. |
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Back at the ranch, Jeff had smoked pork shoulders waiting to be pulled. This is a picture of experts at work. |
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This is a picture of experts getting out of work. |
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In Jeff's home, older kids can't eat unless they have helped a younger person. Ben didn't want to be a younger cousin until he realized it got him close to the front of the line. |
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These families have now been blending together for a couple of years and everyone gets along. |
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This is Caroline. |
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Jill's feelings were just a little hurt when Richie preferred Jeff to her. |
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Melanie finally got to the front of the line. AJ is in the back, one of today's heroes. |
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This was my plate. The food was delicious. Honestly, scrumptious, every single bite. |
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All of a sudden, I heard kids in the pool. Wait, wasn't it raining? |
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In fact, it had rained all day, but that didn't stop most of the kids. However, a minor electrical problem kept the hot tub from working. |
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You're thinking Julia looks cold. That's because she is. |
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Most of the kids didn't care. |
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Nate cared, but he got over it pretty quickly. |
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Caroline had no interest in going in the water. She sat next to me. |
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The Brown kids -- they have no fear! |
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Neither does this child. He lives to play with other kids, and he has never been happier than he was today. |
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These two Bens are building a nice a friendship. |
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This went on for about two hours. Or maybe it just seemed that long to me. Papa brought me some dry clothes, not that I got in the pool. No, I did not. |
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Imagine the appeal of lots of kids screaming in a cold pool in the rain. |
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Julia decided she wanted to imagine something warm. |
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Caroline, on the other hand, wanted the loud, wet, cold and crowded experience. |
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Meaning, this one. Yes, yes, now I'm seeing the appeal... |
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Don't worry, there were plenty of lifeguards. |
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There were also plenty of noodles. |
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Creative Jane decided painting nails outside next to the moms might be a good idea. |
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Julia joined her. |
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About this time, AJ fixed the electrical problem before two engineers and a doctor were forced to cry uncle. How often does one see steam coming from a pool in Dallas? |
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We moved back into the house where the loud and crazy fun continued. Julia needed some quiet time, and I knew just the thing -- a dancing ballerina puzzle. |
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Ainsley joined them. |
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Ben and Nate imagined they were heroes. I can't describe the action going on in this room. Gosh, these kids sure know how to have fun. Kids laughing is literally music to my ears. |
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Having said that, the dancing ballerina puzzle was drawing a crowd. Luke and Ben took a turn. |
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Melanie worked on this puzzle, the one with the tiny pieces. |
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Many home repair jobs can wait, but hot water in the kitchen was something I could no longer live without. |
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Dave, another hero of the day! |